


Appendicitis

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 10:23:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21390592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Alex gets what everyone thinks to be a stomach flu on tour, but it turns out to be much more serious than that.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Appendicitis

**Author's Note:**

> This was a request!

“Hey Alex, how’re you feeling?” Jack asked as he took a seat next to Alex in the back lounge.  
“About the same as yesterday,” Alex replied. The day before, Alex had gotten sick, and his symptoms led him and his band to think that he had a stomach flu. He had a fever, chills, and couldn’t seem to keep anything down. His stomach hurt a bit more than it normally did when he was sick, but he figured that he was either being dramatic, or that he had just caught a bad version of the bug. Luckily, it had hit him on an off day, so he was able to spend it resting up for the show that they had the next night.  
“I’m sorry to hear that, man. I hope you feel better before the end of the tour, but at least there’s only four shows left after tonight,” Jack said.  
“That’s true, but I do hope this clears up. I hate playing feeling this awful,” Alex replied. Seconds later, Alex’s eyes widened, and he put a hand to his mouth.  
“Are you going to get sick again?” Jack quickly asked. Alex just nodded as Jack helped him stand up, then took him to the bathroom. Jack sat on the floor and rubbed Alex’s back as he started to gag. After ten minutes, Alex got sick then looked up at Jack when he was done.  
“Thanks for being with me,” Alex said, wrapping his arms around his stomach.  
“No problem, man. I’m just sorry you feel so bad. I’m surprised you just puked, I don’t remember you eating anything last night,” Jack pointed out.  
“That’s because I didn’t. I had some water in the middle of the night. The last time I had food was like this time yesterday,” Alex replied.  
“Well, that’s not good. Are you sure you’ll be okay to go onstage tonight?” Jack asked, feeling concerned.  
“I’ll be fine. I’m hoping that I’ll start to feel better by tomorrow, and I’ll only have one bad show,” Alex explained.  
“I hope that’s what happens, I hate seeing you push yourself when it’s so obvious you’re miserable,” Jack replied.  
“I appreciate the concern, but I’ll make it work,” Alex replied.  
“If you feel like you’re done in here, you might want to get dressed. We’re supposed to arrive at the venue by three, which is in, like, fifteen minutes,” Jack suggested.  
“Oh yeah, good idea,” Alex replied. Jack helped Alex up, then Alex changed into fresh clothes before meeting up with the rest of his band in the front lounge.  
“Hey Alex, how’re you feeling?” Rian asked as Alex sat on a couch by Jack.  
“Pretty terrible. My stomach is really killing me,” Alex replied.  
“Take some anti-nausea medicine,” Zack suggested.  
“I don’t think it’ll stay down,” Alex admitted in a small voice.  
“Zack’s right, I think you should at least try it. Maybe it’ll help you be in less pain. Let’s see what happens,” Jack said, getting the medicine, then giving it to Alex.  
“I hope you’re right,” Alex mumbled as he took the medicine.  
“We’re sorry you feel so bad, Alex. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen you this sick before,” Rian stated.  
“I mean, it’s just a stomach flu. I guess it’s just a shittier version than what I normally get,” Alex replied. The bus arrived at the venue a couple minutes later, and the four of them walked inside. The stage lights were still being set up, but their instruments were already there and set up since their crew had arrived before them.  
“Since we already know the set pretty well, why don’t we just do the first verse and chorus of each song so Alex can have more time tor rest before the show,” Zack suggested.  
“I’d really like that,” Alex replied.  
“We’ll do that, then. Let’s get started,” Jack said. Throughout the soundcheck, Alex could feel his stomach pain getting worse and worse. Once they got to the encore of their set, Alex felt his stomach flip, which he knew wasn’t good. He stopped playing and gave his guitar to his tech as he quickly ran offstage to find a bathroom. Jack and Zack stood by Rian’s drum kit and exchanged looks of concern with each other.  
“Damn, he’s really sick,” Jack stated.  
“I know, it’s not good,” Zack replied.  
“I really don’t know how he expects to perform tonight,” Rian added.  
“Do you guys think we should try to reschedule the last shows? I think it would really help him,” Jack suggested.  
“You know he won’t go for that. I think we just have to get through tonight and then we can ask him what he thinks about everything,” Rian explained. Seconds later, Alex walked back onstage, holding his stomach.  
“Sorry about that, guys,” Alex said.  
“Don’t apologize, it’s okay. I think we got enough done to be finished. Why don’t we get you set up in a green room? Then you can try to rest up before the show,” Jack suggested.  
“Sure,” Alex said. The for of them found that one of the green rooms had a big couch, so they set Alex up there. From that point until they had to go on, Alex either tried to sleep, or tossed and turned due to the nausea.  
When they stood by the stage entrance waiting to go on, Alex felt a lot of pain from his stomach, but tried to ignore it. The first half of their set went mostly fine, but in the second half, Alex started to feel really sick to his stomach. After they finished Stella, Alex knew that he was about to get sick again, so he quickly ran offstage, leaving the other three unsure of what to do.  
They ended up bringing some fans onstage to play covers with them, and Alex came back out after about fifteen minutes. After apologizing to the crowd, they started to play, and eventually finished out their set. Once the show was over, Alex went right to his bunk, hoping that he’d feel at least a little better the next day.  
\----------------------

“I don’t get it, it seems like you’re a lot worse now,” Jack said as he sat on the bathroom floor with Alex the next day.  
“That’s how I’m feeling. Not that I thought performing would help me feel better, but I didn’t expect to feel this bad right now,” Alex explained, hugging his stomach tightly.  
“Do you think you’re done in here?” Jack asked, not knowing what else to say.  
“I don’t know. I don’t think I have anything else left in my stomach at this point, but I still feel nauseous. I don’t think my stomach ahs ever hurt this much in my life,” Alex replied.  
“Damn dude. You know, we can still cancel tonight if you feel you need to. You seem really miserable,” Jack stated.  
“I feel awful now, but I’ll feel ten times worse if we do that. We have four shows left, I don’t want to cancel them over this,” Alex explained.  
“Okay, fine, we’ll go on tonight. But please be careful, Alex. I don’t want you to hurt yourself, and neither do Rian and Zack,” Jack said.  
“I appreciate it, but I’m going to make this work these next few days, then rest up a bunch after tour is over,” Alex promised.  
“Good. I know you still feel iffy, but you’ll be a lot more comfortable on the couch. I’ll put a bucket out there or something. I just want you to be comfortable,” Jack stated.  
“Okay, I’ll try that,” Alex replied. Jack helped him slowly stand, then grabbed the trash bin right before walking Alex to the back. He set Alex up on the couch, then started to channel surf. He looked back to ask if Alex had a preference but saw him holding his stomach with a pained look on his face.  
“Do you think you’re going to get sick again?” Jack asked.  
“No, it just hurts now,” Alex replied. Jack sat next to Alex, and started to rub his stomach, making Alex wince more.  
“I know you’re trying to help, but that’s making me feel worse, especially when you press here,” Alex said, pointing to the right side of his stomach.  
“Oh, I’m sorry man. Do you want some anti-nausea medicine?” Jack offered.  
“Nah, I don’t think it’ll stay down. And, like I said, it’s more of a pain thing than a nausea thing. I guess I just have to wait it out,” Alex replied.  
“Okay, if there’s something I can do to help, let me know,” Jack requested.  
“I will. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me man, I seriously appreciate it all so much,” Alex replied with a small smile.  
“Of course, man,” Jack replied. The two of them stayed in the back together until they got to the venue. Since Alex was feeling so terrible, the band decided they’d do the soundcheck without him so he could rest as much rest as possible before the show.  
While Alex knew that this was for the best, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated. This wasn’t the first time he’d gotten sick on the road, but it was one of the few times that it really prevented him from being able to do his job. He loved every aspect of touring; the bus life, moving into new venues every day, meeting fans, and of course, the shows themselves. It was very frustrating for him that he wasn’t able to enjoy any of that right now.  
He sat in the green room while the band did soundcheck. Over time, the pain in his stomach grew more and ore intense. He tried to not think about it too much, he figured that being upset about everything was making him feel worse than he really was. A little over an hour later, the band walked into the room.  
“Hey Alex, how’re you doing?” Zack asked, as the three of them all sat around Alex.  
“Still bad. It almost feels like the pain is worse now,” Alex replied.  
“Have you gotten sick at all?” Rian asked.  
“No, I don’t feel nauseous, I just feel an intense pain,” Alex said, hugging his stomach tighter.  
“Are you sure you can go on? You seem pretty messed up right now, dude,” Jack said, looking as concerned as he sounded.  
“I’ll be fine. Besides, we go on in like an hour. So many kids camped out here all day, we’re not going to fuck them over by canceling now,” Alex replied.  
“As long as you’re sure. We’ll stay back here with you until the show starts for in case you need anything,” Jack said.  
“Sounds good. Thanks, you guys,” Alex replied. They spent the next hour watching whatever they could find on TV. Alex was very concerned with how the night would go but was determined to get up onstage no matter what.  
Once an hour had gone by, they walked to the stage entrance and got their instruments. Alex’s guitar felt heavier to him than usual and supporting its weight made him feel even worse. He tried to hide this discomfort from his band as they tuned up their instruments. Seconds later, they walked onstage and started into their set.  
Due to the discomfort, Alex stayed in one spot for the first few songs, not moving around or jumping or interacting with Jack or Zack. By their fourth song, it hurt Alex to belt out the notes to the songs, which he knew wasn’t good. The pain he had only seemed to intensify over the night, especially on his right side.  
They’d just started into their seventh song when Alex decided he had to get offstage. He stopped singing and walked offstage as fast as he could, his arm wrapped around his stomach. The rest of the band quit playing, and looked to each other, unsure of what to do next. The crowd made noise as one of their crew members came onstage to tell Jack that there was no way Alex wouldn’t be able to come back onstage that night.  
“Hey guys, Alex has been really sick the past few days. And I’ve been told that he’s feeling too sick to come back out tonight. We’re so sorry. We will come back and make this up to you, we promise,” Jack said into his microphone. The crowd yelled their well wishes as the three of them said their goodbyes before walking offstage. When they got backstage, they saw Alex sitting in a chair, holding his stomach and gagging some.  
“Hey man, what’s going on?” Jack asked, sitting by Alex and starting to rub his back.  
“Stomach really hurts,” Alex replied.  
“Have you gotten sick?” Zack asked.  
“No, it just hurts a lot. Especially here,” Alex said, pointing to the right side of his stomach.  
“Alex, I know you don’t want to do this, but this seems like more than a stomach flu. I think we should take you to the ER,” Rian suggested.  
“As much as I don’t want to do that, I know that I probably should. I’ve never felt this bad in my life,” Alex replied. Zack and Rian arranged for a car to drive them to the closest hospital so they wouldn’t have to go in the big bus.  
On the ride, Alex sat next to Jack with his head on Jack’s shoulder and an arm still around his stomach. It concerned Jack to see Alex in such bad shape, he couldn’t help but wonder what was making Alex so miserable. As soon as they got to the hospital, Alex was given a room and some paperwork. Alex laid in the bed while Rian and Zack started to fill out the papers.  
“I hope whatever you have isn’t too bad. I hate seeing you like this,” Jack said, looking at his friend.  
“I hate feeling like this,” Alex replied. Not much later, a doctor and nurse walked into the room.  
“Hey everyone, I’m Dr. Catlett, and I’m going to help figure out what is going on with Alex. While I run some tests, would you three mind stepping out of the room? We’ll call you back in shortly. Also, you can hand the papers to my nurse, Shelby,” Dr. Catlett explained. The other three got up and made their way out to the lobby.  
“What do you guys think is wrong with him?” Jack asked as they sat down.  
“Since he’s having pain on his right side, I almost think it could be appendicitis. For his sake, I hope it isn’t, but that’s what it sounds like,” Zack explained.  
“I think we should cancel the last few shows. I know he won’t want to, but it sounds like the best idea at this point, regardless of what he ends up having,” Rian suggested.  
“I think you’re right. We can do that later tonight, or at least get someone from the crew to do it so we can be here with Alex,” Jack replied. After twenty more minutes of anxiously waiting, the three of them were called back to hear the diagnosis. They followed the nurse to the room, all of them feeling nervous for Alex. When they walked in the room, they saw Alex, now in a hospital gown, slowly sipping at some water. They all took seats by his bed as the doctor walked in.  
“So, it looks like Alex has appendicitis. In order to fix that, we need to remove his appendix. Are you all from here?” Dr. Catlett asked.  
“No, we’re in a band currently on tour. We all live in Baltimore,” Jack replied.  
“I see. I think the best way to do this, then, is for me to perform the surgery here in a few minutes. We have the room being set up for it right now. Alex will have to stay here for about an hour after the surgery to make sure that he’s hydrated and that his temperature doesn’t rise. Once that hour is up, I’d say you will be safe to travel back home so he can properly rest and recover. I’d take at least a week off from playing shows, so he has a smooth recovery,” Dr. Catlett explained.  
“That all sounds great, thank you so much, sir,” Rian replied.  
“Of course. I’m going to go see that the room is ready, and I’ll be back for Alex in a few minutes. That way, you all can have a minute to yourselves,” Dr. Catlett said before walking out of the room.  
“Well, it looks like you’ll be feeling better in about an hour,” Jack said.  
“I hope so. I’m bummed we have to cancel the last few shows,” Alex replied.  
“We know, but it’ll be okay. And, we can come over and take care of you while you recover,” Rian said.  
“Yeah, we’ll help you any way we can. You’re going to be just fine,” Zack added.  
“Thank you, guys, I really appreciate it. I’ve got to be honest, I’m a bit nervous for the surgery,” Alex admitted.  
“I know, we’re all nervous for you. But it’s all going to be okay, and in about an hour from now, everything will start to be okay for you again. You’ve got this,” Jack said with an encouraging smile. Seconds later, Alex was taken from the room he was into the operating room. The bus had been driven over to the hospital, so the three of them got on so they could contact the venues they were scheduled to play and explain what was going on and why they couldn’t play. Once an hour had passed, they all went back inside the hospital and were immediately called back to the recovery room. Alex looked half out of it while Dr. Catlett looked at something on the computer.  
“Everything went great! He’s still in the process of waking up. In about an hour, I’ll come back to discharge him. If you all need anything, push the big red button on the wall, and a nurse will come in here to help out,” Dr. Catlett said, leaving the room. the three of them decided to leave Alex alone until he spoke, since they didn’t want to freak him out by talking while he was so out of it. After about twenty minutes, Alex sat up some in his bed.  
“Guys?” he called out, sounding a bit weak.  
“Hey Alex, how’re you feeling?” Jack asked as the three of them moved closer to him.  
“My stomach already feels better,” Alex replied.  
“Good. Dr. Catlett said everything went great,” Rian said.  
“Thank god. I’m glad that’s all hopefully over now,” Alex said back.  
“We are too, man. You’ll get to leave in like half an hour, then we’re headed back to Baltimore,” Zack added. They spent the next thirty minutes flipping through channels until Dr. Catlett discharged Alex. After a three-hour bus ride, the four of them arrived at Alex’s house. They grabbed all of their things then helped Alex inside, and were ready to do as much for him as they could in the week ahead.  
\-------------  
Alex’s recovery had gone very smoothly. The other three ended up staying at Alex’s for the whole week, and took turns doing things for him at home, running errands, and whatever else Alex needed. A week after the surgery, the band was still at Alex’s, and Alex was feeling significantly better. Alex was set up in the living room on the couch, like he’d been all week when the other three walked in.  
“Hey, how’re you feeling?” Jack asked.  
“So much better, all thanks to you guys. Can we all go downstairs for a minute? There’s something I really want to do,” Alex requested.  
“Sure man, what is it?” Rian asked.  
“You’ll see. Come on,” Alex replied, slowly standing up. The four of them made their way to Alex’s basement, which he’d turned into a studio almost as soon as he’d moved in many years ago. He got his acoustic guitar before sitting down on the couch.  
“I’ve missed playing shows so much. Since I’m finally feeling better, can we jam out to some of our songs?” Alex asked, making all four of them smile.  
“Of course, man,” Zack said as they all grabbed their respective instruments and sat down in the room. They played Jasey Rae, Weightless, and Dear Maria before stopping.  
“Looks like you’ve still got it, dude!” Jack exclaimed, setting down his guitar.  
“Yeah, you sound great, man,” Rian said.  
“We’re glad you’re feeling better,” Zack added.  
“Thank you, guys, so much for everything you’ve done for me in this past week, it all means the world,” Alex relied, making them all smile.  
“Of course, dude, we’re family,” Jack replied.  
“It all means a lot. Thanks for helping me on the bus, too. Especially you, Jack. I can’t express how grateful I am for all of you,” Alex said.  
“You’re our brother man. We’re just glad you’re doing better,” Zack replied.  
“Me too. Want to do a few more songs?” Alex asked. Everyone said yes as they started into Coffee Shop Soundtrack. Alex was glad to be doing better, and grateful beyond words for the amazing family he had in his band.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So, this was a request from a user on here, and the username was Emily, so I hope you loved it and thanks again for the request!!! I got a request on my Tumblr (atlfics) the other day and I plan on posting that story tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that!! I hope everyone enjoyed this story, and please send in requests if you have them, I find them super fun and I like writing what you guys actually want to see!! Lots of love, Liv.


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